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6-8 Forward Colin Rice Commits to Nebrasketball Over Iowa, Illinois

Fred Hoiberg and Nebraska men's basketball have their first commitment for the 2026 class.
Kaleb Henry|
Waukee Northwest's Colin Rice takes the ball down the court against Valley High School.
Waukee Northwest's Colin Rice takes the ball down the court against Valley High School. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Nebraska CornhuskersIowa HawkeyesIllinois Fighting Illini

Nebraska football and volleyball may have plenty going on with media days and preseason polls, but basketball just picked up a headline-snatching commitment.

Colin Rice, a 2026 6-foot-8 forward from Waukee, Iowa, has committed to the Huskers. He made the news first known to Rivals on Thursday.

Rice picked Nebraska over Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern and others. He made visits to all four of those programs this summer.

According to 247Sports Composite, Rice is a four-star prospect. He is the No. 45 small forward in the nation and third-ranked prospect in Iowa.

Waukee Northwest's Colin Rice takes a shot over the Cedar Falls defenders.
Waukee Northwest's Colin Rice takes a shot over Cedar Falls defenders. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last season for Waukee Northwest, Rice averaged 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds a game while shooting 53.6% from the field and 37.8% from 3.

Rice is the first commit for Fred Hoiberg's 2026 class.

Nebraska is coming off a 21-14 season that ended with a title at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. The Huskers return five lettermen from last season, including starters Berke Büyüktuncel and Sam Hoiberg, along with Connor Essegian, who averaged 10.7 points per game off the bench last season.

The Big Red will also have new pieces that weren't part of the 2024-25 campaign. Rienk Mast, a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24, is back after missing last season with an injury. The Huskers have also brought in several transfer portal pieces, including former Husker guard Jamarques Lawrence, who was part of the last Nebraska team to make the NCAA Tournament.

2025-26 Nebraska Nonconference Schedule

  • Oct. 18 vs. BYU (Exhibition)
  • Oct. 27 vs. Midland (Exhibition)
  • Nov. 3 vs. West Georgia
  • Nov. 8 vs. Florida International
  • Nov. 11 vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore
  • Nov. 15 vs. Oklahoma (Sioux Falls)
  • Nov. 20 at Hall of Fame Classic vs. New Mexico
  • Nov. 21 at Hall of Fame Classic vs. Kansas State/Mississippi State
  • Nov. 25 vs. Winthrop
  • Nov. 29 vs. South Carolina Upstate
  • Dec. 7 vs. Creighton
  • Dec. 21 vs. North Dakota
  • Dec. 30 vs. New Hampshire

Home games are bolded.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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